What this forum needs is:-

[thor]

I've learned a lot by reading the messages at this forum but some of them caused me some problems because they led me to believe that issues existed where perhaps they didn't. For example all the power supply posts, etc.

Sometimes, too, I have given opinions innocently based on my fifty odd years of model railroading not realising that this particular genre, to which I'm new, actually is quite different. So that someone asking about 'blocks' wasn't really asking quite what I thought they were.

Yesterday I discovered the Coil Coupler site which did two things, it simplied Lionels MCC by providing a demo to play with which made it much easier to understand (and not incidentally recommended itself to me) and it also provided some other information that was very helpful.

I didn't realise I WAS a newbie, who'd have thunk Lionel (MTH etc) could be so different from my previous 3rail AC and 2 rail DC setups?

Some lucid writer needs to keep a folder at the top of the Forum entitled something like "If you're new to Lionel..." with a breakdown of the various topics and/or perhaps an MCC demo which is worth a thousand words. I was put off by all the talk about programming etc until I actually tried it out.

I mean I can't be blamed for reading the recurring topic of power supply oddities and thinking "Well, obviously the answer is to build a better one" because with almost ALL proprietary systems there's an Achilles heel or two and sometimes you just have to tell folks "look don't use their track switches use these" or "forget those couplers they'll never work properly, get these instead"

The great thing about that long explanation at the Coil Coupler site is to explore all the tutorials and pay attention to the wiring diagrams (which explain blocks really well) and that poor chap I befuddled with my answer to his question definitely needs to see that, to get it all sorted out, it certainly made sense to me.

Of course for all I know the Lionel command control may very well come with all sorts of glitches, the only way to find out is to try it I suppose but it isn't really a very expensive system and definitely better than building my own which I have done before in 00 as I was always trying to find a better control system that wasnt too complex. Hornbys Zero One looked good but turned out to be rather poorly made, I hope Lionels isn't THAT bad, their Chinese made electronics in my trainset power pack isn't confidence inspiring.

It would be nice if someone, somewhere, even Lionel made all the relevant information available and easy to find. Their website isn't particularly well laid out, for all I know the information IS there and I just havent stumbled across it.

Actually it was one of you who posted up that link to the Coil Coupler site and whoever it was, thanks.

I'm poised on the edge of being about to go and plunk down some hard earned at Trainland of Lynbrook Long Island (my nearest major Lionel dealership) and what with all the hoo ha about track and this and that I was holding off until I could make some sense of it all.

Pity they dont make that Super 0 track anymore, it looks gorgeous, I like FastTrack but I'm going with tubular because its so much cheaper and I want to be able to do some switching as running round in circles doesnt push my buttons.

I still have a lot to learn, thanks to all who have been helpful, be patient please!

[wrmcclellan]

Hi Thor!

I agree with some of your thoughts. It would be interesting to see if CTT could provide an area were certain relevant posts (transformers, repairs, upgrade techniques, useful links, etc.) could be locked, saved, and eslily accessed for viewing. The difficulty may be keeping the info useful and succinct becuase some editing of non-relevant posts would be needed I think.

Regards,
Roy

[Buckeye Riveter]

QUOTE: Originally posted by wrmcclellan

Hi Thor!

I agree with some of your thoughts. It would be interesting to see if CTT could provide an area were certain relevant posts (transformers, repairs, upgrade techniques, useful links, etc.) could be locked, saved, and easily accessed for viewing. The difficulty may be keeping the info useful and succinct because some editing of non-relevant posts would be needed I think.

Regards,
Roy

[#ditto]
However, unlike Roy and Bob, there are some that don't know a volt from an amp who will post information that is far from factual on this and other forums. (Did you ever hear about the guy that advocated oiling his MTH DCS controller?) Normally scenery and benchwork construction will not burn down the house, but a major screw up with the electrical and you better be able to quickly dial 9-1-1.

[FJ and G]

This idea has been bandied about now for several years; esp. on the other forum.

One of the "why we don't do it" reasons I always hear is that you'd need to hire a full-time web moderator to approve or not approve certain items.

Not a solution but what i do is try to pull down and copy to a word file (along with jpgs) pertinent posts I find (like the recent Williams series/parallel fix).

I also archive some of my "boilerplate" response to vomit back up when needed, as today, there was a question on making asphalt; had the reply all set (as duplicate posts pop up frequently as duplicate posts pop up frequently as duplicate posts pop up frequently)

[jefelectric]

David,

Now I know how you answer some of these posts so quickly!!

John